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Israel-linked tanker boarded off Yemen coast: security firm

A vessel affiliated with an Israel-linked company faced a security incident off Yemen, as US naval forces responded to threats from Houthi rebels.

AP

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels had previously threatened to attack the tanker if it did not divert to the port of Hodeida, the maritime security firm Ambrey says. / Photo: AP

A tanker linked to an Israel-affiliated company has been boarded off the coast of Yemen, the maritime security firm Ambrey said following a series of incidents on the same shipping route.

Ambrey said on Sunday that "US naval forces are engaged in the situation" after the incident involving the Central Park vessel owned and managed by a UK-based, Israel-linked company.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels had previously threatened to attack the tanker if it did not divert to the port of Hodeida, it said.

Communications from a US coalition warship had been intercepted warning the Central Park to disregard the messages, Ambrey added.

The boarding took place offshore from the Yemeni port city of Aden, with another vessel in the area reporting "an approach by eight persons on two skiffs wearing military uniforms", Ambrey said.

It comes after a US defence official said an Israeli-owned cargo ship was damaged in a suspected Iranian drone attack in the Indian Ocean on Friday, and a week after the Houthis seized an Israel-linked cargo ship in the southern Red Sea.

Is Houthis' attempt to target Israel an indication of a wider conflict?

Houthi's "axis of resistance"

The Houthis, declaring themselves part of the "axis of resistance" of Iran-affiliated groups, have launched a series of drone and missile strikes targeting Israel since October 7, following an unprecedented attack by Hamas fighters on Israel.

Israel has vowed to "crush" Hamas, which governs Gaza, after the Palestinian group Hamas' attacks on October 7, according to Israeli authorities.

Gaza's government says nearly 15,000 people have been killed in Israeli aerial bombardment and ground invasion in the Palestinian territory since then.